This Independence Day, Americans once again turned to their screens for entertainment, with viewership numbers showing a significant increase. According to Nielsen, audiences spent 8% more time watching television compared to last year, though not every title in the Top 10 reached the impressive 1 billion minutes streamed during the holiday week, as was the case in 2022.
Leading the pack was the much-anticipated Squid Game, which dominated the charts with nearly 2.9 billion minutes viewed, largely due to the release of its third and final season. Coming in second was Love Island USA, which wrapped up its seventh season with an impressive 1.7 billion minutes of viewing time—a remarkable 189% increase for Peacock during the week of July 4th.
Hulu’s The Bear Season 4 also made waves, amassing 892 million minutes viewed. While it ranked seventh overall, it secured the third spot among original programming, showcasing the audience’s preference for acquired content. In the realm of politics, Prime Video’s Heads of State premiered to a notable 1.1 billion minutes viewed, taking the top spot for movies and fifth overall.
The classic sci-fi thriller Independence Day (1996) also made an appearance, climbing to No. 8 on the movies chart with 297 million minutes viewed. Interestingly, Nielsen reported that adults aged 35-64 comprised 55% of the audience for these titles.
On the streaming originals front, Ironheart had a strong showing with 536 million minutes viewed during its final three episodes. Prime Video’s We Were Liars also entered the original chart with 328 million minutes watched. Additionally, Sinners, fresh off its pay-one window, landed at No. 4 on the movies list, garnering 555 million minutes viewed after premiering on HBO Max on July 4. Notably, 56% of the total viewership came from the 18-49 age demographic.
For a detailed breakdown of the viewership trends and popular titles, keep reading below.
